Jason Carter to Stand Trial in Mother’s Murder in March

Online court records filed Monday reveal Jason Carter’s murder trial is scheduled to begin March 5th in Council Bluffs in Pottawattamie County. The trial was moved due to pre-trial publicity.

Carter is accused of shooting his mother, Shirley Carter, to death at her Lacona home in June of 2015.

His father, Bill Carter, filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit against him in 2017 because he was upset that law enforcement officials had not charged him with Shirley’s murder. The jury found Jason Carter liable for Shirley Carter’s death and awarded Bill Carter a $10 million civil judgment.

Shortly after the civil trial concluded, authorities charged Jason Carter with first degree murder in his mother’s death. They say evidence brought to light during the civil trial allowed them to charge Jason Carter criminally.

Jason Carter appealed the civil lawsuit judgment and a hearing was held in December of 2018. He claimed new evidence may have changed the outcome of the trial. The judge in the case disagreed, issuing a ruling in January. In the ruling, Judge Martha L. Mertz wrote, “The Court concludes Jason Carter failed to meet his burden of proof to establish a basis for a new trial or to vacate the judgment. The evidence that he seeks to offer is inadmissible, and therefore will not change the result.”